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5. The Hidden Power of Fasting
‘The philosophy of fasting calls upon us to know ourselves, to master ourselves, and to discipline ourselves the better to free ourselves. To fast is to identify our dependencies, and free ourselves from them.’ Tariq Ramadan The miracle of fasting Being born in a rather religious family that holds precious Orthodox customs, fasting was something that was done mainly for religious ideals, in the sense that you would know that on Wednesdays and Fridays you wouldn’t eat anything that is animal originated – and, during holidays, the longer fasting period that would be heroic to do – to say the least. The fact is that I don’t really recollect associating…
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4. Yoga, movement and body alignment
It all started…seven years ago. At that time I was working in a very stressful environment – I felt I was suffocated and needed a break. Or so I thought. It was as if I was caught in a box and the air was getting thinner and thinner – and I honestly did not know where to turn to in order to feel better. I was desperate. I was doing my writing, going to the gym, I was walking considerably as part of my job on a day to day basis – yet I had issues with anxiety and stress as never before. That was the alarm bell. I was…
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3. The Smile – and How Gratitude Can Change Your Life
‘When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love’ Marcus Aurelius I know what you are thinking now. You are probably mumbling that not all good things are wild and free and we cannot possibly start each day with a smile. That in spite of anything, you keep reaching the same moment when you stop and be like ‘Hey there universe – this is so annoying! How come this is happening to me? how come I have to deal with this again when I thought I was over it already ???’ Before you say anything…
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2. The Breath- the Life-Giving Force
‘Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angro, get good and angro. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.’ Ernest Hemingway ’Whenever you are in doubt, it is best to pause. Few things are so pressing that they cannot wait for a moment of breath’. T.K. Desikachar In the previous article I wrote about the importance of meditation – as one of the first instruments to get in touch with…
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1. Meditation – the Practice of Presence
We live in times of distress, where we value productivity more than anything else, where we are constantly under stress and movement, in an endless cycle that sometimes feels like it will never end. Meditation is the number one instrument in tackling this stress – that I chose to talk about and will dwell a bit in a general sense but also as a personal experience. I know you might have mixed feelings about having to sit still when you are with all guns blazing, wild and crabby. But think about it as a practice, as a gentle action you can take in order to lower your spirits and dealing…
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Come back to your true nature
‘Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly Away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be know.’A. A. Milne, ‘The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ Summer has come to an end and autumnly vibes of retreat, self-analysis and contemplation took its place. A lot of time has passed since I lastly wrote. Since then I recreated myself, I shook myself, I brushed and overly cleared those sleepless nights, the uncertainty, the fear and the frustration of not being in control(and I m sure that I m not being the only one that had a couple of…
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On wildness, spontaneity and the present moment
Hey beautiful you! The following words come from a different me since the last time we’ve met. ( The green shots have such a huge impact on me hehe ) For almost a month passed since I left the ship and an environment that triggered so many buttons inside me. ( in such a short time so many different lessons learned…) Seems like I needed some time to integrate them, to give them space and to ground a bit more. What do you think I did for that!? Ran with my dog through the wild fields and laughed and played like a child- when was the last time YOU did…
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Going Home – 7 lessons in 70 days of quarantine (onboard cruise ships)
‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light’ JK Rowling Life is fair, normal, usual, routine-like when everything goes as planned, everything falls into place and you get what you wanted. Life is fantastic when you surprise yourself and do even better than you thought! Hey- I probably deserved it – you’d tell yourself. It is when life surprises you to the point where you don’t know where to turn to -this is all new to you- and you look up to the sky and ask ‘ why me?’ – ‘why now?’ – ‘why this?’ – that you actually…
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On Earthing and Interconnection
Today I ‘ celebrate’ two months since I last touched soil. It was the 10th of March, we were in Key West, US and me and my friends went out for shopping and a well deserved lunch. Coming back I looked a bit melancholic as I took the last glimpse over the place, as if a part of me would say ‘ cherish it now for you won’t get this soon’. If you follow my posts you already know that since then we have been on an ongoing quarantine on the ship- even the transfer from one ship to the other was with the tenders hence still floating. (Not that there…
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From control to surrender & living your dream
( things do happen- and as I am writing from my comfy balcony suite, cruising on the Atlantic on the way to Europe and eventually home soon… was wondering) … Have you ever noticed how when someone asks you ‘ how’s your day so far’ – whatever you come up with you’ll eventually start believing it and what’s worse, prove it to be true? These past weeks have made it clear to me that with more you allow yourself to feel lousy, to let your guard down, chances are that you will be dragged in this swirl of negative stories, attracting more and more that confirms it. It took me a…
